シニガン
The Philippines' beloved sour soup: pork (or shrimp, fish or beef) simmered in a broth made mouth-puckeringly tangy with tamarind, loaded with vegetables like water spinach, radish, eggplant and long beans. Sinigang is comforting, savoury and bracingly sour — the national craving on a rainy day — and the level of asim (sourness) is a matter of fierce personal pride, eaten with plenty of steamed rice and a saucer of fish sauce.
Simmer pork (ribs or belly) with onion and tomato until tender and you have a savoury broth. Sour it with tamarind — either fresh tamarind boiled and strained, or a sinigang mix/tamarind paste — to a bright, tangy level you like. Add the hardier vegetables (radish, long beans, eggplant) and cook until just tender, then the leafy greens (water spinach) and any okra and chillies at the end. Season with fish sauce, and serve piping hot with steamed rice.
- Tamarind is the classic souring agent; add it to taste — sinigang should be assertively sour.
- Simmer the pork until tender first for a savoury broth, then build the soup on it.
- Add vegetables in stages by cooking time, and the leafy greens last so they stay fresh and green.
Equipment
- Large pot
材料
Broth & meat
- 1 kg pork ribs or belly, in pieces
- 1 onion (quartered), 2 tomatoes (quartered)
- Water to cover; fish sauce (patis), to season
Souring
- Tamarind — fresh (boiled & strained) or 1 packet sinigang mix / tamarind paste, to taste
Vegetables
- 1 daikon radish (labanos), sliced; long beans (sitaw)
- 1 eggplant, sliced; okra (optional)
- Water spinach (kangkong) or spinach; long green chillies (siling haba)
作り方
- ステップ01
Put the pork in a pot with the onion and tomato, cover with water, and simmer (skimming) until the pork is tender and you have a tasty broth, about 45–60 minutes.
- ステップ02
Add the tamarind — if using fresh, boil and strain it into the pot; if using a sinigang mix or paste, stir it in. Taste and add more until it's pleasantly, assertively sour.
- ステップ03
Add the radish, long beans and eggplant (and okra) and simmer until just tender, a few minutes — don't overcook them to mush.
- ステップ04
Add the leafy greens (kangkong/spinach) and whole green chillies at the very end, just until the greens wilt. Season with fish sauce to taste.
- ステップ05
Serve the soup piping hot in bowls with steamed rice and a small dish of fish sauce (with chilli) on the side for dipping the meat and vegetables.
Make ahead
Make the pork broth and sour base ahead (the flavour deepens), then add the vegetables — especially the leafy greens — fresh when you reheat to serve, so they stay bright and crisp. Sinigang is a quick weeknight soup once the broth is made.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and the flavours meld nicely; reheat gently. The leafy greens are best added fresh, so if making ahead, you can add fresh greens when reheating. It doesn't freeze as well (the vegetables soften), so it's best made fresh or kept just a few days.
Variations
Sinigang na hipon
Made with shrimp instead of pork — quicker, and a popular version.
Different souring agents
Sour it with green mango (sampalok alternatives), kamias, guava (sinigang sa bayabas) or calamansi for regional twists.
Beef or fish
Sinigang na baka (beef) is rich and hearty; fish (isda) is lighter and faster.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
よくある質問
What makes sinigang sour?
Tamarind (sampalok) is the classic souring agent, giving sinigang its signature tangy, mouth-watering broth. You can use fresh tamarind (boiled and strained), tamarind paste, or a convenient packaged sinigang mix. Other souring agents like green mango, kamias, guava or calamansi are used in regional versions. The sourness should be bright and assertive — that's the whole point.
What meat or seafood can I use?
Very versatile: pork (ribs or belly — sinigang na baboy is the most common), shrimp (hipon), beef (baka), or fish (isda) all work. Pork and beef need longer simmering for a rich broth; shrimp and fish cook fast and give a lighter soup. The souring and vegetables stay much the same across versions.
Can I use a sinigang mix packet?
Yes — packaged sinigang mix (tamarind-based) is widely used even in Filipino home kitchens and gives reliable, convenient sourness. Add it to taste. Using fresh tamarind is more traditional and gives a cleaner flavour, but the mix is a perfectly accepted shortcut. Either way, taste and adjust the sourness to your liking.
When do I add the vegetables?
In stages, by cooking time. Hardier vegetables like radish, long beans and eggplant go in first to simmer until just tender. Quick-cooking leafy greens like water spinach (kangkong) and whole green chillies go in at the very end, just until the greens wilt, so they stay fresh, green and not mushy. Don't overcook anything.
What do you serve with sinigang?
Steamed white rice is essential — sinigang is a soup-and-rice meal, and the sour broth is spooned over or sipped between bites of rice. A small saucer of fish sauce (patis), often with chilli, is set out for dipping the meat and vegetables. It's hearty, comforting Filipino home cooking, especially loved on rainy days.
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